Evelyn's POV
I stared down at my arm, my heartbeat hammering so violently in my chest I was certain it could be heard echoing against the walls of Lucian's chambers. There it was, a faint but undeniable crescent moon mark glowing softly against my skin, as though the universe itself had branded me. My hand trembled as I traced the outline, hoping it would vanish, that it was some cruel trick of the dim lighting or my own weary imagination.
But it didn't fade.
And his words, his deep, commanding voice, rang in my head, refusing to let me breathe.
Mate.
Lucian had called me his mate.
"What the hell does that even mean?" I whispered aloud, the emptiness of the chamber swallowing my voice.
There had to be a mistake. There was no way, absolutely no way, that a girl like me, a human servant, could ever be bound in something so permanent, so sacred, or cursed, as matehood to a demon. And not just any demon. Him.
